Onitsha market fire: Victims count losses

The victims of Car Paints Market in Onitsha, Anambra State are still counting their losses following a mysterious fire that destroyed goods in the market worth over millions of naira.
The car paints market at 38 Ozomangana Street was razed by fire which cause is yet to be unraveled.
Although no life was lost in the inferno, two three-storey buildings beside the shops were partially affected as they were saved by the prompt arrival of men of fire service.
One of the victims of the fire incident, Mr Chukwuma Maduewesi who owns the Car Paints warehouse where the fire started said that he lost over N20 million to the disaster, pointing out that it was the most shocking incident that has happened to him since he started business over 15 years ago.
He stated that the warehouse which was stocked with car paints was under lock when the fire started without any trace of the cause as there was no electricity in the area for some time.
Another victim, Mr Emma Onuora who deals in Aluminum products said that he lost over N5million to the fire which destroyed all the goods in his shop.
He called on security agents to investigate the cause of the fire which he said was not caused by electrical faults, stressing it was the first time fire would engulf the market in the past 30 years he has been doing business in it.
Also Ken Okeke who deals in glass and had lost over N3 million to the fire described it as mysterious, saying that they lost all they had in their shops.
The victims called on the Federal and state governments to help them start a new life as what they had in the market had gone.
“We need help from the Federal and state governments, corporate bodies, NGOs as well as banks to start again because we have our families to feed,” he pleaded.
The Chairman of Car Paint Dealers Association, Comrade Samuel Anike told Oriental News that the fire was mysterious as it started in the car paint warehouse that was under lock, stressing that there was no electricity in the area in the past three days before the incident occurred.
He also pointed out that another fire incident had occurred in a shop beside the market the previous day, describing the incident as devilish.
Anike appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), SEMA and other good spirited individuals to come to the aid of those who lost their goods to the fire, commending the prompt response of the men of the fire service who saved the fire from spreading to residential buildings.
The Operation Officer of Fire Service, Okpoko Fire Station, Mr Iyke Nzegbu, a Chief Superintendent, said that their prompt arrival saved the two, three storey buildings beside the market from being destroyed by the fire.
He stated that the cause of the fire could not be ascertained but noted that since there was no electricity for some time in the market, it could be arson.
He, therefore, appealed to the state government to provide more water tankers to facilitate their job.